Not A Date!

The sun is sloping down the evening sky in a haze of yellow, accentuated by red, magenta colored atmospheric clouds that give an entirely settling feeling of the rest in the night to come.

As people from all over within the area look up, there is an inescapable lighting of anticipation bright on their faces as they know what would come next.

For it is closing hours and with it, people park up for the night. However, for a different set of persons, it is just the beginning as a black convertible slows down taking a turn around the corner of the estate buildings before picking up speed, a clutter of dirt and pebbles flying up in the aftermath.

At the driver seat of the vehicle is Tunrayo, her eyes focused on the tarred almost empty street before her, driving past a few shops and gates before finally slowing down to move into a driveway. Her car, just as the rest of the frame is, is pitch black with dangling plastic red roses from the rearview mirror that jingle with each jerk and zoom of the car, adding rhythmic vibrance to the car.

Tunrao herself is donned in red spaghetti top and blue scrubbed jeans, her feet which alternates between the break pads and the crutch adorned in red nail polish in a black flowery leather slippers, a sort lingering scent of feminine perfume hovering about her in the air conditioned convertible.

On her hair, she has simple large plaits that run down from her frontal hairline to the nape of her neck, revealing the true short nature of hair she has. In between the large plaits are smaller plaits of braid that wiggle like squiggly lines, left to right and right to left , following same direction as the former.

She moves her hand to the gear stick and reverts the gear to the first drive gear, Gear 1 as she readies to park the vehicle. As she does, the convertible slows to a crunching halt over the loose particles of soil on the concrete pavement that is surrounded by a double flat building by the left and a flower accentuated concrete covered gutter which is bordered by a fence on which electric wires span.

She picks her phone from the dashboard and slips it into her waist pocket, opening the door while she takes a the key off the ignition.

She then proceeds to the door before her, pausing before knocking briefly on it. However, prior to that, she has been sighted before she highlighted, by none other than Deola herself, whose bedroom window overlooks the driveway.

"Heh... So you're really serious about this, eh." Deola sighs, pulling away from the window and in the process, the curtain falls down, blocking out the receding sun light.

However, there is electricity at the moment as the fan swirls slowly, creating rapid shadows by it's obtrusion of it's fan blades against the light bulb.

Deola moves to the ironing table of sorts which substitutes as her reading table and at the moment, her make up table, picking a mascara brush while staring at the rectangle shaped looking Glass at about the height of an average human hand, elbow to wrist.

She sighs again, afterwards, looking down in thought at the various make up materials littered about, on the table, knowing what Tunrayo would be undergoing at the moment.

Her Mum was around, and for sure, Tunrayo would get her fair does of religious lecture.

Meanwhile, Tunrayo enters the seating room of Deola's home, inhaling the cool freshly scenting airs that greets her from within.

"Good afternoon, Ma" Tunrayo bends her knees a little, a customary act of greeting, significant with those of Yoruba lineage for females, greeting the woman who seats behind her phone and sips a cup of steaming cocoa.

The black sofas with orange headrests are arranged in a box formation, the long settee lies parallel to the door while the two other sofas border the perimeter of the walls, all centered in a way such that everyone would be able to look onto the black large screen TV at the other end of the parlour.

But for some reasons, despite the electricity, the TV is not in use.

The woman in a purple, lilac Adire gown and a similar styled gown looks to her side to the door from the top of her square rimmed glasses at Tunrayo.

"Yes, how are you Tunrayo? Come in."

"I'm fine ma." Tunrayo kowtows a bit before walking in. "I came to see Deola." She gestures towards the swaying curtain adjacent to her, just beside the TV.

*SIP!

Deola's mum sipped the cocoa again, giving Tunrayo the hard stare while the latter swallowed nervously.

*SIP!

Again, she sipped, her eyes trailing the length of Tunrayo while her lower lip twitches.

"Erh... Can I go, ma?" Tunrayo whispers, nervousness filling her entire form as she begins to fiddle with her fingers behind her.

SIPPP!

"Take a seat, young woman." She trails Tunrayo as she sips again. "How was your Prom?" She asks just as Tunrayo seats in the chair closest to the door which places her at the direct opposite left of Deola's Mum.

"It was fine, ma" Tunrayo whispers.

"Fine? And my daughter came home like that?" Deola's Mum asks, putting down the tea mug on the stool.

She then crosses her legs, putting her phone down on settee before turning to fully face Tunrayo. "Is that your definition of fine? What happened?"

"Well, Ma... Has... Whee!" Tunrayo exhales.

She had always had tough times when ever she had had to deal with Deola's Mum.

"Are you okay? Or would you need some time before you can answer, because I have lot of time at hand and because..." Deola's Mum raised a finger in the air. "Neither of you would leave this house without you informing me of what really went on."

Tunrayo swallows, regretting her choice of entering the house. She muses, thinking she should just have stayed outside and called for Deola to come instead of having to endure this conversation.

"I..."

"Talk..!" Deola's Mum snaps her fingers, impatience clearly written on her face with a frown.

"Mummyyyyyyy na..." A new voice interrupts.

"Leave her alone jor! Haven't I told you what happened already?" It is Deola with a frown as she power walks to grab Tunrayo's hand.

"Good timing!" Tunrayo whispers, casting a side glance to Deola's mum whilst being dragged away by her friend.

However, Deola's Mum simply relaxes back into the sofa, picking up her phone again.

"Girl, you are brave" Tunrayo cheers her friend just as the door snaps into place behind them.

They are now in Deola's Bedroom and unlike before, Tunrayo is completely relaxed.

"Yeah... Just know she's going to kill me at dinner time. That's when she gets to me mostly." Deola laughs softly, leaning her head against the door.

She wears black leggings, white tank top, long black braids that are numerously caressing her back, down to the mid section.

"Well, then we have to make the date worth it."

"It's not a date. Just a meet up!" Deola rolls her eyes.

"Considering that I had to tell a solid lie to get my parents into allowing me take the Convertible, it's definitely has to be a date."

"What, don't be silly!" Deola hits Tunrayo in the arm, lightly with a slap.

"Anyways, I see you're getting ready for the date!" Tunrayo says, settling on the edge of the table as she eyes the content on it.

"Yeah... Just some nude make up. I'm done already already. And No, it's not a date!"

"Nude?" Tunrayo raises an eyebrow with a smirk. "And you say it's not a date?" She giggles.

"What No! Come on, No. Can't I just use make up without it being for a date?

"Well, yes, but in this case, No! Ah-ah!" Tunrayo shakes her head slowly with a smug look on as her finger wags in similar pace.

"AAARGH... You're ridiculous!" Deola pouted, throwing her hands in the air.

Shortly after, the bedroom door closes as the duo exit, turning into the corridor before parting the brown flower spotted curtain into the seating room.

"Mum, we are off!" Deola mouths.

Her mum stares at her, putting away the now empty cup on the stool, in annoyance as she disrupts her attention from the TV.

"Go, go... Just make sure you guys don't naked yourselves at the beach. Im not expecting you to oblige but Deola... You know you're religious upbringing does not allow for that!" Deola's Mum points a finger at her daughter who crosses over to the door now.

"Yes ma!" Deola replies as she steps outside the now open door. Tunrayo follows suits as well and shuts the door behind her.

"Well, " Tunrayo sighs softly."That went well!"

"Because she's watching her TV show!" Deola puts in, heading off to the passenger side of front seats in the convertible.

Minutes Later...

Tunrayo is at the driver's seat again, zooming towards the lagoon. They had not been given specific time by Tade but from what Tade had said previously, there was a big chance they'd meet him at the shore exactly in evening time.

And already, the evening sky was in full swing.

"Ehen, Dee, there's something I want to say sef." Tunrayo speaks.

"Okay?"

"You know, I have some premonition about this Tade guy. Maybe it's just me but... No, it can't be me... it's..."

"It's what?" Deola shifted in her seat.

"Well..." Tunrayo fiddles with her waist pocket, whilst keeping her eyes on the road.

In what seems like a minute or so, aided by Deola, she brings out her Smartphone and engages the finger print lock.

The smartphone unlocks with a clicking sound, just as Tunrayo slows down to allow her some space to use the phone.

"I tried to send those pics I took of you guys kissing..."

At this Deola's eyes widen. "You didn't delete them?" She frowns.

"What? " Tunrayo giggles as she shrugs. "They were cute. I like Cute!"

Deola rolls her eyes, snapping her seatbelt into place.

"Soo... What about the premonition?"

"Ah, yeah!" Tunrayo casts a side glance at Deola briefly before putting full attention on the driving.

"When I tried sending the pictures..."

"The pictures again?" Deola no longer could hide her irritation.

"Yes, relax!" Tunrayo cut in. "The pictures eh. I swear, I took the pictures well but in all of the shots, Tade's body vanished."

"What?"

"You think I'm lying? See it here!" Tunrayo thrusts the phone to her.

"Maybe you're just over thinking..." Deola grabs the phone, glancing at the images.

But it is as Tunrayo says.

Tunrayo had taken a burst of photos but right there on the smartphone, the images only show Deola lying horizontally, yet her body does not touch the granite shore.

And from the looks of it, she has a flustered look on, a look of one who had just been kissed surprisingly.

Deola knits her eyebrows together, puzzled over the mystery.

To anyone who was not there, the image would appear as if it was tampered with. But she, was there.

Infact, she was the one who got kissed but on the photo, she seemed to be floating in the air with Tade, no where to be found.

"Maybe water splashed on your phone, damaging the camera." Deola put in, trying to add logic.

In response, Tunrayo shook her head. "No... If water got into my phone, then I would have had to fix it since.But I haven't. Plus, did you notice when we asked for his name, he said Tade Subme. And then, it appeared as if he was deliberately holding off from saying the rest of his name?"

<see Chapter 'Strange Mister' >

"Hmm..." Deola nodded, remembering the events vividly.

"If you ask me, I think he was going to say Tade Submerged. And before you argue, remember that he said he was enjoying the lake airs, at that time if the day. Reason with me, babe, why do you think his body would vanish from a picture with all of these facts?

Doesn't it mean there's more to this guy than what we think?"

Deola sighs, unable to make heads of the matter.

Perhaps, Tunrayo just was over thinking things?

"I don't know. Mythology must be messing with your head, Tunrayo!" Deola mutters , dismissing the talk.

She stares out the window now and notices the soft crashing of the waves of the lagoon against the granite shore of LakeView College, while the huge assembly hall that was host to the Prom overlooks them.

"Well, Maybe." Tunrayo shrugs. "We are here!" She turns off the ignition, watching as Deola hops off.

"Wait for me oh!" Deola says, leaning against the car with her hands on the roof.

"Okay! Well, don't get fucked in your first date, okay?"

"What? Really?" Deola splutters out. "It's not even a date, talkless of me spreading legs for him." She adds but Tunrayo is far gone, laughing.

____________________________

Author's Note:

I wonder how far this Tade is Mysterious... Tunrayo is witty,no doubts. That is, if you ignore her teasing and playfulness.